


The Friendmas Ficlet Collection

by cypress_tree



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Bathing/Washing, Belly Rubs, Domestic, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lingerie, M/M, Nail Polish, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 15:02:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2855078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cypress_tree/pseuds/cypress_tree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of five unrelated ficlets written as Christmas gifts for friends:</p><p>geniusbee: Hermann hurt/comfort<br/>patster223: Hermann wearing nail polish<br/>thehorrorinsymmetry: Hermann in lingerie<br/>bravinto: belly rubs<br/>decadentmousse: Harvest Moon AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. geniusbee: Hermann hurt/comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Geniusbee](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Geniusbee), [patster223](https://archiveofourown.org/users/patster223/gifts), [thehorrorinsymmetry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehorrorinsymmetry/gifts), [bravinto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravinto/gifts), [decadent_mousse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/decadent_mousse/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this first ficlet is based off a twitter conversation about newt building a blanket fort around hermann as hermann sleeps. I added in a few other things that I thought bee would like~~

Hermann’s entire Friday has been upsetting. First the mess hall was out of coffee, then Newt spilled intestines in the lab, then Lars called to argue for nearly an hour. By noon, Hermann had a headache. By evening, he was nauseous and couldn’t eat dinner.

He’s packing up to leave the lab, looking forward to ten hours of sleep, when Newt catches his attention.

“Hey, so do you wanna come over tonight?”

Hermann groans.

“Not for sex,” Newt amends. “Just for sleep.”

Hermann’s first instinct is to say no, but then he pauses. If he goes home alone, he’ll surely spend the whole night sulking. Newt’s presence would be a distraction. And it would be nice to fall asleep next to another warm body.

“Fine,” he mutters.

“Hey, dude, if you don’t want to, you don’t have—”

“No, I’ll come. I want to.”

Newt looks a little skeptical.

 

\---

 

Hermann packs a bag containing his pajamas, toothbrush, and medication. He drags his tired body down the hall and knocks politely on Newt's door.

“Hey,” Newt says, answering with a smile. “Feeling better?”

At first, Hermann thinks that Newt is standing in darkness. When he steps inside, he realizes that this isn’t quite true. There’s one small lamp on the nightstand, and lit candles are scattered around the room.

“I know you had a headache earlier, so I figured I’d keep the lights dim," Newt explains.

Hermann drops his things on the table.

“I just ran a bath for you. The water’s still hot.”

Hermann stares.

“Don't look so surprised, dude. I do nice things sometimes."

A cloud of steam welcomes them when they open the bathroom door. The air smells like lavender, and Hermann takes a deep breath for what feels like the first time all day.

“I may fall asleep in the bath," he murmurs.

Newt laughs. "Nah, I won't let that happen. You'd get prune fingers, and you hate prune fingers." He motions for Hermann to come closer, then starts undressing him, layer by layer. He presses a kiss to Hermann’s shoulder. “Here, go ahead and get in.”

Hermann lowers himself into the water. He takes another deep breath and closes his eyes as Newt shuffles around the bathroom.

“How’s that feel?” Newt asks.

“Heavenly.”

Hermann slides down until the water reaches his chin. The stress of the day melts away, and he finally starts to relax.

"The smelly stuff is from Alison," Newt says, perching on the edge of the tub. "I asked if she had any bubble bath, but she laughed at me and gave me this instead." He hands Hermann a jar of bath salts with a homemade label— _for mi corazón, love from abuelita._ "She said lavender is supposed to be calming."

Hermann thinks it could be true. Every breath he takes loosens the knots in his muscles.

"Tip your head back," Newt says. "Let me wash your hair."

 

\---

 

Once Hermann is scrubbed and rinsed and scalp-massaged, Newt helps him out of the bath and pats him dry with a soft towel.

"Are you hungry?" he asks.

Hermann’s stomach chooses that moment to grumble, and Newt laughs.

“All I’ve got is instant ramen," he says. "But it’s warm and filling, and it’s actually not half bad if you’re in the mood for it.”

Hermann gets dressed in his favorite flannel pajamas, then rests on the couch as Newt pours boiling water into two plastic bowls. The ramen is salty, but satisfying. It warms Hermann’s body with each swallow, and even though he needs a glass of water nearby, he finds it overall enjoyable.

“You wanna watch a movie?” Newt asks.

Hermann shrugs, and Newt takes that as a yes. Hermann doesn’t pay close attention to the plot of the film, but there are a few jokes that are funny, and he finds that it lifts his spirits. He slides down beneath his blanket until he can rest his head on Newt’s shoulder. Newt is so warm, and the sofa is so comfortable. His eyelids start to droop. It won’t be much longer before—

 

\---

 

Hermann wakes up in darkness. For a moment, he’s confused. Newt is here, but they’re not in his bed. They’re lying—for whatever reason—on the sofa. Hermann’s eyes flutter closed. He’s about to go back to sleep, but something feels off. The room is too stuffy and warm.

Hermann lets his eyes adjust to the darkness. The blanket he thought was missing is hanging above their heads. It’s draped over the back of the sofa and across two floor lamps, layered with more blankets to make something Hermann hasn’t seen since Bastien was a child: a blanket fort.

“What have you done,” Hermann murmurs. He shifts a bit, slightly uncomfortable now that he’s awake and consciously aware of Newt’s weight. Newt stirs.

“S’not morning,” he grumbles. “Go back to sleep.”

“No. Why are we in a blanket fort?”

Newt frowns, confused for a moment, then smiles. “You were talking about space in your sleep.”

“Is that meant to be a logical answer?”

“I built you a spaceship.” Newt points to something attached to one wall of the fort. When Hermann squints, he realizes it’s a picture of Earth, as seen from the moon. The paper printout is safety-pinned to one blanket, slightly crooked.

“You are a child.”

“And you love it.” Newt nuzzles into Hermann’s neck. Hermann isn’t tired anymore. He grazes his fingers up and down Newt’s back while Newt sighs happily.

“Are you feeling better?” Newt asks.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good.”

They lie together in silence, then Hermann asks,

“Why are you wearing my NASA shirt?”

Newt laughs. “Oh, I forgot.” He sits up and starts to take it off.

“No, you don’t have to—”

“You need this. We’re gonna land soon and you’re still in your civvies.”

Hermann rolls his eyes. Newt unbuttons Hermann’s pajamas, then pulls off his flannel shirt and replaces it with the oversized NASA tee. The fabric is warm, and it smells like Newt. Hermann finds it comforting.

“Alright, you’re ready for landing.”

“Thank goodness I’m in regulation spacewear.”

“Touchdown in five...four...three…”

“Will this require leaving the sofa, because—”

Newt claws at the ceiling blankets, destroying the fort in one fell swoop. The whole structure caves in, and Hermann is immediately blinded. When he unearths himself from the remnants, his breath catches in his throat. Newt’s lamp and candles have been replaced by something else—a star projector. The walls and ceiling are covered in tiny pricks of light. There are constellations on every surface.

“What is this?” Hermann murmurs.

Newt shrugs. “It’s space.”

Hermann can’t think of what to say. He opens his mouth, but doesn’t produce any words.

“I got you this for your birthday, but that’s way too far away, and you had a pretty shitty day, so I think you deserve it now.”

Hermann feels his heart start to race. “You got me a star projector for my birthday?” he asks.

“Yeah!”

Hermann shakes his head. He stares up at the ceiling, thousands of stars dotting the surfaces all around them.

“Wanna stargaze with me?” Newt asks.

Hermann takes his hand. There are spots of light covering Newt’s skin like freckles.

“Let’s start with these,” he says.

 

\---


	2. patster223: Hermann wearing nail polish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another fic based off a tweet--"herm is self conscious about wearing nail polish, newt kisses his fingers to show how much he likes it"

Newt arrives at Hermann’s door carrying two bags of popcorn and a flash drive containing all his favorite movies. He’s ten minutes early for their date. He’s usually ten minutes _late_ for everything, so he’s pretty sure Hermann’s going to be impressed.

“Gonna get some tonight,” he murmurs with a grin. He runs a hand through his hair, then knocks on the door, opening it without bothering to wait for an answer. “Hey, I brought—”

Newt stops short when he doesn’t immediately see Hermann. He scans the empty room, then hears running water coming from the bathroom.

“Hermann?”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

Newt closes the door behind him and locks it, just in case. Tendo has a nasty habit of letting himself into people’s quarters, and one time he walked in at a _really_ inopportune moment. Newt doesn’t want a repeat.

“I brought popcorn,” he calls. “I got that gross pepper kind you like.” The bathroom door is half-open, so he sets his things down and walks over. “Hey, what’s up?”

Hermann is washing a shirt in the sink. His hands are buried under a mountain of suds, and he looks a little flustered.

“A pen burst in my pocket,” he says.

“Oh, that sucks. It’s probably stained for good, man, that happened to me once and I used everything to try and get it out, but—”

“Yes, well it’s worth trying. Would you go set up the film?”

“Nah, we’re not in a rush or anything, I’ll wait for you.”

Hermann frowns and continues to scrub. “I wasn’t expecting you for—”

“I know, I’m early, right?”

Newt grins, but Hermann doesn’t look up, so Newt gazes around the room. That’s the shower they had sex in last week. That’s Hermann’s terrible, cheap, store-brand shampoo. That’s Hermann’s cute reflection. Hermann glances up at the mirror and catches Newt’s eyes. Newt winks.

“Seriously, Newton, I’m going to be a few moments longer, if you would—”

“I told you, I’m not in a rush. Here, let me see your shirt.” Newt reaches towards the sink. “Maybe I can—”

“No!”

“I’m not going to—”

“Go get the movie ready!”

“It’s not a big deal!”

Hermann pulls the shirt away so hard that when Newt loses his grip, suds slosh out of the basin.

“What the hell, dude?” Newt is about to get really annoyed, because Hermann’s acting like _such_ a dick, but then he notices something. “Hey,” he says. “Are you wearing…”

Hermann’s cheeks turn bright red, and Newt knows the answer without even having to finish the question. Hermann is trying hard to hide, but he doesn’t stop Newt when Newt reaches into the sink and pulls out one of his hands.

Hermann’s nails are painted a pale shade of pink. He obviously did it himself—there’s polish all around his nail beds, and the color is a little streaky.

“I meant to remove it before you arrived,” he mutters.

“What? Why?” Newt pulls a towel off the rack and pats Hermann’s hands until they’re dry. “You look great,” he says.

“I’m a mess, and it’s hardly—” Hermann tries to pull his hand away, but Newt holds him fast. “It’s hardly conventional.”

“Wow, when did I ever give you the impression that I liked conventional things?” Newt smiles. “Seriously Hermann, you look really pretty.”

Hermann’s cheeks blush a flattered pink.

“Here, don’t take it off. I’ll help you clean it up a little.”

 

\---

 

They leave the bathroom and sit down on the sofa with a pile of cotton swabs and a bottle of nail polish remover.

“This pink looks really nice on you,” Newt says. He takes one of Hermann’s hands in his own. “You just need to clean around the edges.”

Hermann is quiet. He’s clearly uncomfortable, so Newt bows his head and kisses each of his fingers.

“Kissing is step one of the cleanup process,” he says. “It’s a really important step, so don’t ever forget it.” Hermann huffs a breath that sounds sort of like a laugh. Newt counts it as a win.

He works in silence, at first. Hermann is a little on edge, but bit by bit, the tension starts to drain from his body. His shoulders loosen, and he shifts to sit closer to Newt.

“Was this your first time?” Newt asks.

“No.” Hermann’s voice is very quiet. “I wore it once when I was 14. Karla did them for me, but my father caught us, and...” Hermann’s voice trails away. Newt finishes working on one hand, then picks up the other, kissing Hermann’s fingers before wetting the cotton swab.

“What color?” he asks.

“Green. My choices were limited. Karla was going through her punk phase.”

“That wasn't a phase dude, Karla’s still punk.”

"Well she's at least toned it down now." Hermann smiles, and Newt is glad to see it.

“I used to wear nail polish all the time,” he says. “Funny story, though—in the beginning, the PPDC was super strict about what you could and couldn’t wear while working with real kaiju samples. Nail polish was totally _not_ okay. But after my first year, I started working under this biologist named Ryan, and they wore nail polish every day. Like, literally a different color every day. And they didn’t want to give up that aspect of their style, so they did like every test conceivable until they proved that a little bit of nail polish wouldn’t fuck anything up.”

“That’s certainly dedication.”

“I know, right? So the the first time we met, I was wearing nail polish, and I was like ‘oh shit, I have to take this off,’ and Ryan’s like ‘no, it’s totally okay, believe me,’ and they let me do my work with my nail polish on. _But_ —and here’s where the story gets good okay, you’re totally gonna laugh at me. I’ve got my petri dishes all lined up, right? Little chunks of kaiju on each one. I look down and there’s this tiny black flake in one of my dishes.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes! But I have no fucking idea what it is. So I get a pair of tweezers and I’m poking at it and I’m like ‘oh my god I think I discovered a scale or something’ and this lasts like literally thirty fucking minutes until I shoot a text to Ryan, and like seriously, as soon as I hit send, I realize what it is.”

“Weren’t you wearing gloves?”

“Well yeah, but not the entire time I was working, only while I was handling the samples.”

Hermann starts to laugh.

“To this day, I have no idea how it got in there, and I was so embarrassed about it, that I never wore nail polish in the lab ever again.”

“Oh my god.”

“I was so mad. I thought I was going to be fucking famous.”

By now, Newt has finished Hermann’s nails. Hermann smells a little like acetone, but he’s holding tight to Newt’s hand as he laughs, and Newt doesn’t have the heart to complain.

“Thank you,” Hermann says.

“Hey, no problem, dude.”

“Seriously, Newton. It means a lot.”

Newt just shrugs and smiles. Hermann tilts his chin up and kisses him, and Newt gets this weird butterfly feeling in his stomach.

“Hey, do you have any other colors?” Newt asks.

Hermann glances at the bathroom door. “Yes. I bought red as well, but I wasn’t feeling quite that adventurous today.”

“Okay, A: you’d look fucking hot with red nail polish, and B: can I use it? We could turn this into a manicure date.”

“But I’ve already painted my—”

“No offense dude, but you could use a second coat.”

Hermann scoffs, but glances down at his nails to examine them. “I suppose you may. It’s in the medicine cabinet.”

“Awesome.” Newt gets up to grab it.

“Oh and Newton?” Newt stops short, and Hermann motions him back to the sofa. When he gets close enough, Hermann grabs his tie and pulls Newt down to his level. “Be a dear and grab a condom while you’re in there.”

Newt’s heart skips a beat. Hermann lets him go with a smirk, but it’s a little hard to walk after that.

 

\---


	3. thehorrorinsymmetry: Hermann in lingerie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hermann buys himself a little something nice~~ because we seem to share this common interest, eheheh.

It takes one week for the order to arrive, and Hermann has been tracking it every step of the way. When he hears the box being plopped at the front door, he snatches it immediately and hides it in the bathroom closet. Just thinking of the contents makes his heart race.

Hermann isn’t sure what to do.

At first, he thought that he would surprise Newt as soon as his husband arrived home. He quickly scratched that idea, because there were far too many variables. What if Newt had had a bad day? What if he came home late? What if—worst of all—he brought company to visit?

No, Hermann wants this to be perfect. He has to have complete control. He goes into the office to correct exams while he waits.

 

\---

 

When Newt arrives home, he’s carrying takeout from Hermann’s favorite Thai restaurant. They eat at the dining room table, then sit down to watch TV. Hermann spends two hours wondering when he should unwrap the package. When he finally decides to do it, he looks over at Newt to find that Newt has fallen asleep. It’s a little disappointing.

Hermann putters around the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner and muttering about feeling like a housewife. When Newt starts to snore, Hermann rolls his eyes. He goes into the office to finish his exams. Once he’s completely focused on work, he finally forgets about the package.

“Hey, you coming to bed?”

Hermann jumps. Newt is standing in the doorway, rubbing one eye sleepily. His hair is a mess from where his head was pressed awkwardly against the couch.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” Hermann says. “I just have a few more exams to correct.”

Newt smiles and heads for the bedroom. Hermann quietly panics.

 

\---

 

The entire day has led up to this, and Hermann is starting to doubt. He should have told Newt his plans beforehand. What if Newt isn’t in the mood? What if he looks at Hermann and laughs?

Hermann stares at himself in the mirror, standing amid the remnants of excessive paper packaging. He’s wearing a coral-red slip with delicate lace edging. The silk whispers across his skin, draping over his figure and accentuating his frame. It hangs off his body from two thin straps and flutters, slippery, around his thighs.

The slip had been expensive, but Hermann loves the way he looks. He feels beautiful and desirable. He wants to kiss and be held.

Hermann swallows.

When he opens the bathroom door, Newt is sitting up in bed. His attention is fully focused on his phone, and he doesn’t so much as glance in Hermann’s direction. Hermann frowns. His heart is going a mile a minute, and he keeps his eyes glued to Newt as he walks towards the bed.

“Dude, I gotta send you this article, this is absolutely ridiculous, this guy has no idea what he’s talking about.” Newt shakes his head slowly as he continues to read.

Hermann bites his lip. He stops at his dresser to put his glasses in their case, then pauses at the nightstand to lean his cane against the side. He clears his throat and pulls back the bedsheets, and that’s when Newt finally looks up.

“Holy shit.” His eyes open wide, and he gapes. He looks Hermann up and down, and struggles to speak. “Hermann—Hermann, you look—”

Hermann blushes. He sits down in bed and lies with his legs over the covers. Newt abandons his phone.

“Oh my god, where did you—”

“The internet.” Hermann finds that he can’t meet Newt’s eyes. “It was quite expensive.”

Newt reaches out with one unsteady hand and touches the neckline of the slip.

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” he murmurs. He runs his fingers across the fabric. “You look amazing.”

Hermann smiles. Newt licks his lips and swallows, then scoots closer and runs both hands along Hermann’s sides.

“What did I do to deserve this?” he asks. His palms skim over lace edging, then squeeze Hermann’s bare thighs. “Did I do something like—really fucking good?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“I just don’t—oh my god, you’re—” Newt laughs. “I can’t even speak, you’ve made me fucking speechless. _Me!”_

“You like it?”

“I love it. I love _you_.”

Hermann leans forward for a kiss, and Newt is all too eager. His hands slide up and down Hermann’s chest, caressing the smooth silk and rubbing at the softness of the lace.

“When you say expensive,” he murmurs. “How much…”

“Almost two thousand dollars.”

Newt grins. “You’re worth it.” He slides an arm around Hermann’s waist and encourages him to lie flat on the mattress. “I’ll have to buy you another. I’m probably gonna ruin this one.”

Hermann laughs.

“Do you mind?” Newt asks.

“Of course not.” Hermann closes his eyes as Newt starts kissing his neck. “Why do you think I bought it?”

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [this was the slip I had in mind while writing](http://www.agentprovocateur.com/us-main-nav/soiree/nightwear/info/celeste-slip~red)


	4. bravinto: belly rubs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh my, we have had so many conversations about newt's tum: tum rubs, tum kisses, tum bites...

Newt and Hermann go out for a dinner date every Friday night. They love trying new restaurants and exploring parts of Hong Kong they never knew existed. Hermann takes notes so he can write a good Yelp review. Newt asks the server which dish they recommend.

Tonight, the restaurant was excellent. It was a six-course prix fixe menu, and the chef had specialized in Cantonese cuisine. They had feasted on Wagyu beef buns and sweet-and-sour pork. There were vegetable sprouts drowning in fish broth, and even coral crab, fresh from the steamer.

By the time they’ve finished dinner, neither one can eat another bite. They take the MTR back to the Shatterdome, and sit a little too close on the train.

“That was delicious,” Hermann murmurs. “But I’m looking forward to getting back.” He runs his fingers along the seam of Newt’s pant leg. Newt smiles and gives a tiny shiver.

 

\---

 

By the time they arrive at the Shatterdome, all their patience is gone. They hurry to the residence wing and stumble into Newt’s quarters. Newt presses Hermann against the door as soon as it shuts.

“You need to eat faster,” he says. “The food was good, but that took way too long.”

Hermann smirks. “I eat at a perfectly normal pace,” he says. “Just because you shovel down food like a hoover—”

Newt makes a offended noise and kisses Hermann hard.

They make their way to Newt’s bed, which for once, is not covered in dirty laundry. Hermann sits down on the edge, and Newt drops to his knees to take off Hermann’s shoes.

“You’re the worst,” Newt mutters. “I don’t know why I put up with your insults.”

“Mmm...perhaps because you’re in love with me.”

Newt laughs. He pulls off Hermann’s socks and wraps his hands around Hermann’s delicate ankles.

“You think that gives you a free pass to get away with anything?” he asks. “You’ve got another thing coming, Dr. Gottlieb.”

Hermann grabs Newt by the front of his shirt and hauls him up until they both fall back onto the mattress. Newt is giggling, and Hermann has deep laugh lines at the corners of his eyes.

“Why are you still dressed?” Hermann asks. “Let’s get these off.” He tugs at Newt’s pants, but immediately finds that this is much easier said than done. The pants don’t budge. Hermann pulls harder, but they only lower by an inch. He sighs and sits up. “Really, Newton, is there any reason for your trousers to be quite this tight?”

Newt covers his face with a pillow and laughs. Hermann grabs onto Newt’s waistband with both hands and pulls as Newt lifts his hips from the mattress. The pants finally drag down, and Hermann just needs to give one more tug to pull them off entirely. Newt is still giggling behind the pillow. Hermann pulls it from his blushing face and shoves the pants over the edge of the bed.

“Ridiculous,” he mutters. “You’re going to injure yourself wearing those.”

“They’re stylish, dude, sometimes you gotta sacrifice practicality.”

“You're impossible.”

They make out while half-dressed, lying over the covers of the bed. Newt slides his hands beneath Hermann’s sweater. Hermann lazily unbuttons Newt’s shirt.

They’re exchanging soft, slow kisses when Newt’s stomach makes a gurgling sound. Hermann snorts and pulls back to look at him with one raised eyebrow.

“I’m digesting,” Newt says.

“I see.”

They go back to kissing, and Newt’s stomach does it again.

“Could you digest a little quieter?” Hermann asks.

“I can’t control it!”

Hermann smirks. He pushes the edges of Newt’s shirt aside and rubs his swollen stomach.

“How does that feel?” he murmurs.

“Uh—good. Really, really good.”

Hermann continues to rub in small soothing circles as Newt stares up at him with half-lidded eyes. When Hermann stops, Newt’s stomach makes another noise.

“I think it likes you,” Newt says.

Hermann breathes a laugh. He shifts down on the bed until he’s lying between Newt’s legs, then presses a kiss to the swell of his belly. Newt hums, sliding a hand into Hermann’s hair.

“Do it again.”

Hermann kisses all over Newt’s stomach. Some kisses are soft and tender, others are loud, verging on hickies. He nibbles the bit of flesh just below Newt’s navel, and trails his lips down to the waistband of Newt’s boxer briefs.

“Are you done digesting?” he asks.

By now, Newt has practically melted into the mattress. He nods, one hand fisting the bedsheets, the other holding tightly to Hermann’s shoulder.

Hermann smiles. He crawls back up to kiss Newt on the lips.

“You’re into my pudgy belly,” Newt mumbles.

“I’m into you.”

“Yeah, but you really dig my pudgy belly.”

Hermann doesn’t deny it. He slides one hand back down Newt’s chest and onto his stomach. He strokes it and caresses it while Newt groans.

“S’nice,” Newt slurs. “Some people didn’t like it.”

Hermann frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Just—other people I’ve dated—they kind of avoided that area.”

“Then they were fools. They didn’t know what they were missing.” Hermann wraps his arm around Newt’s waist and pulls him in close. “You’re soft and warm, Newton. It comforts me.”

Newt smiles. He doesn’t meet Hermann’s eyes, but his cheeks turn dark pink. Hermann gives him a sly glance.

“Let me show you just how much I love your body.” He leans in for a long, slightly filthy kiss. Newt is left gasping afterward.

“That was a good start,” he says. “But you really gotta prove it to me.”

Hermann smiles and pulls him even closer. “Oh, I will,” he says. “I haven’t the slightest of doubts.”

 

\---


	5. decadentmousse: Harvest Moon AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mousse came up with an adorable Harvest Moon AU. Newt is Hermann's farmhand, and Hermann is quite smitten.

Hermann finally leaves the house just as dusk begins to fall. He's missed most of the daylight hours, too wrapped up in planning and bookkeeping to step out of the office for more than a moment. Now, the sun is setting across the field, and there's no sign of his farmhand anywhere. Hermann finds himself feeling a bit disappointed. Newt probably finished his work while the sun was still shining, then left for home without a goodbye.

He’s about to turn back inside when he notices a light on in the barn window. He pulls his sweater tight to keep out the chill, and follows the dirt pathway to the barn, muttering all the while.

“I swear, that man is so absent-minded…”

Hermann swings open the screen door and glances around the barn.

"Hello there, girl," he murmurs, greeting the chestnut Arabian in the stable. Hermann frowns when he notices Newt's jacket hanging on a nearby peg. That's odd—it was a warm day, but Newt can’t possibly have forgotten his favorite leather jacket. Perhaps…

Hermann steps closer, rounding the corner and peering into the the empty stall that he now uses for hay storage. He stops stock-still in the entryway.

Newt hasn't left for the night—he's lying right here. He's leaning against a stack of hay, curled up on his side and sleeping soundly. His glasses are resting on a milking stool. Hermann bites his lip against a smile. Newt must have tired himself out; sometimes he tries to take on more than he can realistically accomplish in one day. For a moment, Hermann watches him sleep.

The barn is warm, and smells like hay and livestock. The chickens are clucking happily, and every now and then, there's a huff of breath from the horse in the stable. It sounds familiar. It sounds like home.

Newt shifts a bit in his sleep, taking in a deep breath and letting it out with a smile. Hermann's heart melts. He feels guilty, watching Newt so unguarded like this, but he can't help himself. Newt looks peaceful—his legs drawn up to his chest, one arm folded beneath his head. He has hay in his hair, and his lips are slightly parted.

Hermann sighs, shaking his head to rid himself of his thoughts. He steps a little closer to Newt and clears his throat, pointedly. His horse looks up at him, but Newt doesn't wake.

"Newton?" When Newt still doesn't move, Hermann nudges Newt’s foot with his cane. "Newton?"

"Mmm?" Newt opens his eyes sleepily. He looks up at Hermann, and for a few precious seconds, doesn't seem to fully comprehend where he is. He smiles, sweetly, as if there's nothing at all unusual about this situation. "Hey, what's—" Newt blinks, and Hermann can see the very moment his mind catches up with his eyes. "Oh shit. Oh shit, sorry!" He scrambles to stand, shoving his glasses onto his face and brushing the dirt from his clothes.

Hermann tries to keep a straight face. "It's quite alright." Newt runs a hand through his hair, shaking hay out of the longer strands. He looks at Hermann worriedly.

"Sorry, I just meant to lie down for like ten minutes, I swear! I was waiting for the rain to stop so I could harvest some strawberries, 'cause I know you hate it when I track mud into the barn, but—"

"I said it's fine." Hermann watches with amusement as Newt checks the clock on the wall, widens his eyes, and grimaces. "You got plenty done this morning,” Hermann says. “I'm not concerned at all about your productivity."

"I know, but it's just—I—"

"Newton, please forget it. You were tired, you fell asleep. That's all there is to it."

Newt chews his lip, looking up at Hermann with a slight frown.

"Did you shear the sheep this morning?"

"Yeah."

"And you collected eggs from the henhouse?"

"Yeah."

"And you continued work on the pig pen?"

"Yeah."

"Then would you join me for dinner?"

"Yeah—wait, what?"

Hermann smirks, and Newt's shocked expression gives way to an embarrassed laugh.

"Very funny," he mutters, still smiling.

"It was a serious offer; you must be hungry. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Newt's smile grows a little bigger, but he purses his lips as if trying to keep it in check. "Well, I don't wanna—I mean, if you already had plans—"

"If I already had plans, I wouldn't have just invited you."

"Yeah, I--alright, then."

Hermann nods, pleased. He takes Newt’s jacket from the peg on the wall and tosses it towards him.

“If you help me chop vegetables, I might even let you stay for dessert.”

_“Might?”_

“Well, it depends on how well you chop them.”

Newt laughs, and Hermann glows. They shut off the barn lights and head for Hermann’s house, the bright starlit sky sparkling overhead.

 

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End file.
